The present invention relates to a method of measuring the types of motion and the configuration of biological and non-biological objects, particularly their motility, position in space, distancing behavior, reversal of direction and shoaling behavior, with the objects being observed and the observations being evaluated, and to uses of such a method.
The known measuring methods do not permit the detection of such behavior in a single measuring process. The prior art methods of measuring individual behavior are insufficient and expensive. An abstract and bibliography of such methods are provided in: Spieser, "Methoden der Toxizitatsprufung an Fischen"[Methods of Testing Toxicity in Fish], published by DFG, Boldt-Verlag, Boppard, 1980. The different methods referred to in this publication possess a variety of drawbacks: either the fish are impaired (e.g. by implantation of magnets); or the measuring system is too inaccurate or very complicated, and includes many electric eyes tending to blind the animals, or the method is too inaccurate, as in the optical/optoelectronic method disclosed by Petry, Motilimat GETRA.RTM., or is unreliable, as in the case of measurement with standing ultrasound waves, (biopulse.RTM.), or requires too much personnel, i.e. observers who operate time sum/frequency counters. In all of these cases, not much more than motility can be measured and this only with errors. Components of shoaling behavior can be measured only in a complicated strip cylinder apparatus or, for individual fish, in a Nakamura apparatus. Both are not practicable. Further, there exists no measuring process for fright reactions.